The StepStone Bridge Revisited
by kathlaida-princess
Summary: The summers succeed themselves over the years, with each passing one turning yet one more painful memory to a sweet replacement. This summer, Gaara and Naruto revisit a familiar bridge. Unofficial sequel to Trains. GaaNaru Fluff. Birthday Fic


**THE STEP-STONE BRIDGE REVISITED**

**by kathlaida-princess**

**Summary: **The summers succeed themselves over the years, with each passing one turning yet one more painful memory to a sweet replacement. This summer, Gaara and Naruto revisit a familiar bridge. Unofficial sequel to Trains. GaaNaru Fluff. Birthday Fic for **Dancin'Andy**

**Disclaimer: **This being a fanfiction, the character aren't mine at all. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, but you know that already ;)

**Author's Notes: **Hello, dear readers! Happy GaaNaru Fanday! This was indeed created as a very belated birthday gift to **Dancin'Andy**, who then wanted me to post it as a summery fanday contribution. I reflected on the many events told in Trains and I wanted to pick one up and make it grow in time. The clumsy step-stone bridge crossing (born in my own clumsy step-stone bridge crossing) won. You don't need to know Trains to enjoy this story, though. If you enjoy this, that is xD

Anyway, a happy (very belated) birthday to **Dancin'Andy** and a happy fanday to you all!

Long live GaaNaru!

* * *

Dragonflies shamelessly flew their adventures across the luminous, hot air, unable to care less about the two young men incidentally crossing their way, for no second of their ephemeral lives could go to waste.

These two teenagers, driven by an urgency unfitting of the environment surrounding them, rushed through the tall grass, the second one being gingerly dragged by the first, to his amusement rather than to his annoyance.

Naruto smirked softly at the hand Gaara held to guide him, excited to see his soul-mate so uncharacteristically enthused with something he suspected to be quite trivial. But there was nothing trivial about true happiness, was there? Nothing vulgar or unimportant in the smile the blond was sure Gaara possessed.

The clouds above them spotted their emerald way with harmless shadow, much slower than the pace the redhead imprinted on them. As they hurried further, the progressively louder sound of water promised an upcoming river, but the Hokage-wannabe wasn't surprised. He clearly remembered being to this place, and what happened in it. It was just last summer after all, the last time Gaara had decided to test the new train tracks…

Indeed, the wide river soon streamed before them, behind a last fortress of untamed grass. And, as Naruto suspected, so did the giant stone serpent, lying peaceful from one margin to the other, small gaps between each unsteady stone of its body. The step-stone bridge, as challenging as ever, whispered under the breeze for a rematch of their last shameful encounter. And, apparently, to concede to it had been Gaara's plan all along.

"Here we are," he unnecessarily announced, finally turning his face to the blonde. The expected smile was right there, just gracefully curving the edges of his mouth. The redhead's pale hand gently left Naruto's with a brush of fingers, and he carefully treaded further into the soaked margin. His bare feet partly sank into the muddy ground below, and the look upon his face as he eyed the fast river and the bridge was of a shinobi challenging a worthy adversary. No, there was nothing trivial in this story.

"No saying…" the blonde replied, playfully sarcastic, after a few seconds of being lost in this moment. He now wondered what was about to happen, in how many more ways could this wonderful boy amaze him. He just stood and waited to see.

Gaara looked back at his boyfriend and continued, "I have something to show you. Something I have been training to do." His smile grew wider.

Naruto grinned back and nodded, agreeing. Taking it as his cue, the redhead placed a foot on the first stone and took a deep breath.

Since the moment the Kazekage ventured his first step into his trial, the blonde left behind captured the whole scene surrounding him, all part of the same experience. Gaara, alluringly wearing nothing but an open beach shirt and the red swimming shorts he had bought that year, had become a very different person from the last time those stones had carried his weight. His pace was as decisive as when he was leading him there, and the Hokage-wannabe was glad to see how his past fear had transformed into such genuine confidence…

The redhead didn't falter with the rapid water, threatening to conquer the stone's shaky balance, spraying a slippery coat along his way made from a myriad of tiny droplets, rushing beneath him while laughing. Sometimes, the sleepy clouds casted long shadows upon these waters, and it seemed as they would summon terrible, faceless, dark demons just to harm his Gaara… But Naruto would watch him just carry on, undisturbed and graceful, and his heart swelled from the pride he felt.

Puffs of mosquitoes (and other insects), weak but exhausting, polluted the Kazekage's personal space and often stung his flawless skin, drew his once unreachable blood. But despite the pink marks scattered all over his body, guaranteed to be a ticking bomb of feral itching, Gaara saw only the other margin as something important to focus on, rendering all faced problems as easily-endured obstacles.

(Naruto wondered if he missed Shukaku's automatic sand shield at these times… He knew he would.)

All in all, the redhead now crossed the treacherous bridge as if he were crossing his familiar, steady desert, his pose paused, appealing and elegant, just not impassive, for his excitement at doing this _finally _well annulled all chance of neutrality. When he reached the middle of his progress, he allowed himself to stop and look around in awe, the subliminal beauty of that nether region of the Fire Country decidedly overcoming its dangers, blinding all the dreadful fear he once harbored from this trip. Gaara wondered if any existing deity could ever walk on water with no control over their chakra, for he was sure just a dose of this sensation would make anyone feel most divine.

In a whim, the Kazekage dared to look back, and the expression he found in the blond, wholly approving, excited, white from his smile and generous, made him feel already thoroughly victorious. The redhead too grew proud of himself, and endlessly thankful for Naruto.

The latter half of his crossing, resumed with no little effort (for how entrancing this sandbox was!), carried on with similar peace and stability, some of the rare fish peeking from beneath the current's surface, curious about this water skipping biped. Gaara quickened his pace near the end, for the sole reason that he longed for the rewards after this challenge, and when his right foot finally met the other margin, accomplishing its goal, red needed to approach yellow once again.

Gaara and Naruto met at the middle of the step-stone bridge, after twin flurries of rapid skipping brought them there. After less than a second, the blond unceremoniously swallowed the redhead in a tight embrace, almost ruining the hard-worked balance kept for so long. But none of those outcomes could alter the Kazekage's mood, who managed to return the close body-wrap despite the gap between them, whose smile stretched tenfold as his lover excitedly spoke to his ear, "You are so awesome, Gaara! You did it! Like I knew you would…"

Plump, honey lips drew their pouty touch upon the creamy skin beneath the same ear, and Gaara felt like he could practically purr under the Jinchuuriki's tender attention. He gathered his rough voice as to reply, "I had nothing to fear, you taught me that, and I had you with me… And if I fell, I could not be harmed either, because you taught me to swim as well." And hadn't that been the nature of their relationship for so long, in many ways other than this example? They would survive together, look after each other. And even alone, the marks imprinted in one another helped them go through the day undisturbed.

"I will even challenge Lee for a friendly race the next time. And I intend to win," Gaara concluded, chuckling seriousness filling his tone.

Laughter that Naruto returned, before approving all of his boyfriend's plans with a new kiss, now to the mouth. The redhead molded himself against the blonde, responding to his well-deserved reward with all the adrenaline the victory offered, letting time roll by them like the clouds in their lazy herd. A hazy part of his mind wondered just what the peeking fishes would see now.

Not that it mattered, right?

However, they still missed each other, even if they had the summer all to themselves. As the clouds dragged time forward, just like Gaara had dragged Naruto there, leaves from the trees, tinted a cold yellow, orange and brown, fell from their white cotton, constantly reminding that the alone time would always come back.

In the meanwhile though, these moments of mutual survival imprint would gladly remain, stretched and enjoyed to its impossible limit, turning all bitter memories to a hopeful future.

"_I'd like to see Bushy Brows stand a chance…" _was Naruto's last thought, as he lifted his kissing Gaara to the rest of yet another glorious summer.

* * *

And that's it :)

Not much to say, except that I hope you like this, even if it's cheesy and lame and rushed…

Happy Fanday once again!

kathlaida-princess logging out…


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